Looking Up and Opening Up
by SheWillBeLoved013
Summary: Post-Hiatus. Tony comforts Abby. She may not need Gibbs after all. Friendship, but I guess if you like the relationship, it could swing both ways.


_I've been in the mood to write pairings and other things that I normally don't. Tony and Abby have grabbed my interest. In little more than a month, I will be on hiatus, so I'm trying to write as much as possible. I've noticed that they are very close; I also think that they seemed to be closer after Hiatus, so this is my contribution. _

_Disclaimer: I own nothing except this scenario and the pretty pretty princess crown I'm wearing while writing this. _

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Tragedy has struck. Gibbs is gone. Not dead, but he might as well be. He is never coming back; it'd be foolish to think otherwise. Tony sighs, running his fingers through his hair for the millionth time. He figures that he should start with the worst. He gets in the elevator and he pushes the button to Abby's lab. As the elevator dings open, all he can think is, "time to face the firing squad."

It's worse than he thought. Abby is sitting there with her face devoid of all make-up. Her tears have washed it all away. Her hair is no longer in the piggytail braids it normally is. She is holding a Caf-Pow! It is empty, but he doubts she notices. She is still crying, but no sound is coming from her. He goes to her, she doesn't respond. He sits right next to her.

"What do you want, Tony?" her voice is flat, emotionless. He internally cringes.

"Just coming to see how you are" he tries to keep his voice upbeat for her sake. Bad idea.

"How the hell do you think I am? Gibbs is gone. And you're cheery? Who the hell do you think you are?" her voice is rising and she is glaring at him accusingly

Tony looked away; he was on the verge of tears. It was all too much, first Gibbs runs away to Mexico and now Abby is screaming at him.

"I was just trying to help" he cringes as his voice wavers. "You're not the only one having a tough time. Gibbs abandoned me too." He points at her angrily; Abby had no right to snap at him.

And in a voice so quiet, he says "he was my hero."

Abby's posture softens, she sniffles. She leans into Tony and says, "He was mine, too"

Tony puts his arm around her and holds her while her body shakes with her sobs. He doesn't cry, not because he isn't sad, but because DiNozzo's don't cry.

"How could he do this to us?" she looks up at him, her eyes wide in the way a child's are when they feel that they have done something wrong

He shakes his head, "If I had an answer, I would tell you."

She puts her head on his chest, listening to his heart beat. It was oddly reassuring. He wrapped his arms around her. One around her shoulders, the other around her waist, he pulls her close. She knows how powerful this gesture is. As sure as she is that Gibbs is superhuman, she is sure that Tony's arms banish nightmares. She has had personal experience. Let's just say that after Kate died, it was a rough few weeks.

He is her rock. She pulls out of his arms and looks him square in the eye.

"You remember the promise you made me after the first time you got hurt?"

Tony smiled, "Yeah. I'm never going to leave you."

Abby looked at him. She started to put her hair back into braids, but her hands were shaking too much.

"Here let me do it" Tony said, taking her hair in his hands. She was amazed as he braided her hair. First one braid, then the other.

"Where did you learn to braid?" Abby asked, curious. But, Tony wasn't going to go down that road. Oh, no. No way. He stood up to leave. This was getting too out of hand.

"Wait, Tony, please don't go. I'm sorry." Just like that, Abby began to cry. Harder and louder than when Gibbs left.

He ran back to her and enveloped her into a huge hug. He made rubbed his hand up and down her back as she cried.

She stepped back, "I can't help you if you don't let me in."

Tony sighed. "My mother was pregnant and it was a girl. She taught me to braid hair, so that way I could do it for my baby sister. My mother got very sick and lost the baby. Five months later, she died of that same illness."

Abby covered her mouth. She wrapped her arms around his waist. Suddenly, it was Tony who was crying and Abby who was comforting.

Through his tears, Tony said "My dad sort of stopped caring after that. When Gibbs left, suddenly I was eight and finding out that my dad had no intention of picking me up from boarding school for Thanksgiving."

They stayed like that for awhile. Tony finally pulled back and took Abby's hands in his.

"Abby, I don't want to upset you, but eventually I will leave NCIS."

"And when you do, I will follow you."

"Really? Even if Gibbs is here?"

Abby nodded affirmative, "You're my best friend. NCIS is no fun without you."

Tony smiled the first genuine smile in days.

"But, you don't have to be a stranger. Atlas."

Tony chuckled. "I was Atlas long before I met you and probably will be for the rest of my life."

"Still, you can talk to me."

Tony nodded his thanks and walked towards the door. Suddenly, he stopped and turned around.

"You really willing to follow me, Absies?"

Abby giggled at the pet name. "Always Tonysies" she giggled again.

He pecked her on the cheek. Abby smiled. She felt so much better. She turned to Bert and said, "We may not need Gibbs after all. Tony's gonna need some help, though."

Abby's day didn't seem so bad anymore.

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_Review. Please. With whipped cream and dinosaur shaped sprinkles on top?_


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